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HISTORY OF PSYCHODRAMA IN SERBIAZoran Djuric, Zoran Ilic

Morenian psychodrama as a method of psychotherapy was unknown in ex Yugoslavia till 1986. At that year, Dr. Dusan Potkonjak invited Professor Andrew Powell to come to Yugoslavia and give the first Psychodrama workshop in Belgrade. It was held on Belgrade University Psychiatry Clinic, supported by deceased director of Clinic at that time, Prof. Dr. Milan Ignjatovic. There were only eight people on that workshop. In 1987, the first Psychodrama education in Belgrade was established. (Overseas training Oxford-Belgrade).

Dusan Potkonac formed the first educational – experiential group in Psychodrama in Belgrade. He was at the same time on Psychodrama training, in the Holwell Centar (England).

The trainers in the First education in Clinical Psychodrama were: Andrew Powell and Inece Buckley. This education was supported and provided by Marcia Karp, Ken Sprague, John Watson, Susie Combs (Taylor) and Rudy Neygaard.

1990-1991, the six students of Clinical Psychodrama graduated, and become the psychodrama therapist. Five, from the six of them are still in Psychodrama: Jasna Veljkovic, Zoran Djuric, Zoran Ilic, Vladimir Milosevic, Zvonko Dzokic. After the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, Zvonko Dzokic established Macedonia Psychodrama Association, in Skopje. This Association is still very active and produces several psychodrama psychotherapists.

The first public presentation of Psychodrama in former Yugoslavia was in the end of 1990. It happened in Bitef Theater in Belgrade, which was the new, avanguarde Belgrade Theater. After that, the first papers on Psychodrama were published in the theater journal Scena (Stage). In 1992, Dusan Potkonjak becomes Practitioner of Psychodrama in BPA and after that in 1993, he moved to London. The work of the experiential/educational psychodrama groups didn’t stop. It was continued by four, at that time younger psychodrama therapist: Jasna Veljkovic, Zoran Djuric, Zoran Ilic and Vladimir Milosevic.

In 1993, our psychodrama group becomes the member of the Serbian Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. It happened on that way that Psychodrama Section in that Association was established. Jasna Veljkovic, Zoran Djuric, Zoran Ilic and Vladimir Milosevic, gave a lectures on Psychodrama in that Association and Psychodrama was recognized in Yugoslavia as a psychotherapeutic method. Psychodrama was the member of this Association till the 2000.

In 1998 YUPA was formed (Yugoslav Psychodrama Association). The founders of YUPA were: Zoran Ilic, Vladimir Milosevic, Jasna Veljkovic and Zoran Djuric. The main goal of YUPA was Psychodrama education and promotion of Psychodrama in Yugoslavia. YUPA started with a formal Psychodrama education, following the BPA Standards of education. The outer supervisors of YUPA were the trainers of BPA, primarily Susie Taylor.

In 1998, Jasna Veljkovic did the first Master thesis on Psychodrama in Yugoslavia. In 2001, the YUPA become the Associate training association of FEPTO. Activity of YUPA was recognized in the Europe, especially because YUPA was the founder of the Cross Cultural Training Days in Psychodrama.

In 2005 YUPA disintegrated. It diverges in two separated Psychodrama schools. Zoran Ilic, Jasna Veljkovic, and Zoran Djuric founded the BPC-Belgrade Psychodrama Center.

Vladimir Milosevic formed the Institute for Psychodrama. In 2005, Dusan Potkonjak formed Serbian Psychodrama Association-SPA MORENO. In 1998 Jasna Veljkovic and Zoran Djuric, published the first book on Psychodrama in Serbia, titled Psychodrama and Sociodrama. In 2003 Jasna Veljkovic and Zoran Djuric, published the second and changed ed. of the book Psychodrama and Sociodrama.

Leaders of YUPA performed many workshops and write many papers on psychodrama on international conferences since 1995 till these days. In 2003 Zoran Djuric, Jasna Veljkovic and Miomir Tomic, published the book: Psychodrama (in images), on Serbian. This book was published in: Croatia (2004), England (2005), Brasil (2006), Corea and Japan (2007). YUPA published The Journal for Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama in 2004. BPC (2007) and the Institute of Psychodrama (2008) became the psychodrama training organizations recognized by FEPTO.

Psychodrama develops in Serbia in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis and Senta. Novi Sad and Nis are new centers developed by trainers from Belgrade, from Institute for Psychodrama and BPC.

In Senta there is an organization of psychodramatists trained by Hungarian trainers on Hungarian language. Those psychodramatists are also members of Serbian national psychotherapy organization. They apply psychodrama in work with children.

Featured Event

Research Committee meeting:From Resilience to Wellbeing. Promoting Health through Psychodrama and Action Methods